Just gonna put this out there, this is gonna be a long post. It's pretty picture heavy too, so don't say I didn't warn you! You may recognise bits of the above as the out of focus background to most of my recent photographs. I thought it was about time I shared the one tidy area of my room with you, as I love being nosey and looking at other people's storage solutions.

Basically, my bedside table (which is just a cheapy Ikea one at the moment, but will be a beautiful dressing table one day) is where I keep all of the items I need within easy reach. My bed is underneath what is very nearly a wall full of windows, so its the perfect place to put my makeup on as it's the brightest part of my room. My hair/body products live on top of my chest of drawers, but that's a whole other post ;).

Underneath the table is an old joliebox which I keep samples to test in, a shoe box which has products which I reach for less often (i.e. night out eye makeup, even more neutral nail polishes etc), a Liz Earle bag full of skin care products that I reach for probably once a week, and a Space.NK bag packed with wax strips and cotton pads! So pretty boring, but the slightly more interesting stuff sits on top.

 Glass Trinket Jar - £8

I purchased this trinket jar from notonthehighstreet.com, and I have to say that this seller in particular has some beautiful items which I'll definitely be investing in come pay day. It's the perfect size for packing full of cotton pads and buds, and I think just looks really pretty.

I store all of my 'favourite' nail polishes in a deceptively sized JolieBox - the 1st birthday one, which was an amazing colour! Although it looks small, it holds an excessive amount of varnishes, most of which have featured on my blog.

White Wicker Baskets - £9.93

This basket comes in a pair, and the other one is currently holding my fake tan and hair products on top of my chest of drawers. This is the part of my bedside table that I love using the most, although everyone else probably finds it boring! I house all of my daily skin care in this basket, along with nail polish and brush cleanser just because I use them so often that it seems silly for them to be anywhere else. I'm considering doing a skin care routine post now that I finally *touch wood* seem to have got my acne under control. I've only been using the majority of these products for around a month though, so I'll give it another few weeks before I post any rave reviews.

 Wedged in between my skin care basket and my brushes is an empty Cath Kidston makeup bag which I tend to use for the gym or overnight stays - read more about it here!

 Acrylic Pen Pots - £1.95 each

At the moment my makeup brushes live in these Muji pen holders, but I'm considering swapping them in to the Minnie Mouse ice cream pot that my brother bought me because its so damn cute, and I love pretty much anything Disney! I don't think my brush collection is too excessive - I recently cleared out most of my makeup collection and threw a load of cheap brushes away, so now I mainly have MAC and Real Techniques brushes, although I have odd Sephora, Chanel and Ecotools thrown in the mix too. I like to think I use all of these brushes on a regular basis, although I'm tempted to pick up a few more RT brushes as I love the core collection.

 Acrylic Drawers - £10.95 for two

Most people have seen or own these drawers from Muji (I have the wide version), but they house my everyday makeup. On a day to day basis I tend to go for neutral eyes and lips, and I like a really smooth, clear base - hence why my eye draw is so empty, but my foundation draw is a bit jam packed! Like I mentioned earlier, I recently threw a lot of my makeup away, so this is a really stripped back collection.

So there you have it, the pictures behind the pictures I guess? These are the products I tend to reach for most often, and its the only empty surface area in my room at the moment, so I guess I'd better go and get tidying! What do you store your collection in? Any tips to share?



Nails: Nails Inc Porchester Square

Nails Inc Jubilee Crystal Cap in Porchester Square - £10.50

10% Discount code: EXTRA10

This was another of my ASOS 'treats' - I think that paying for their premier service has definitely injured my bank balance, although it gives me something nice to look forward to if work has been stressful!

Porchester Square is one of Nails Inc's most popular polishes, and it was released with this crystal cap in honour of the Queen's jubilee. Now I love anything sparkly, anything royal, and my collection of nudeyish polishes is never ending, so this suits me right down to the ground! As you can see in the last photo, I'm not likely to lose this shade in my 'favourites' box, that lid is kind of unmissable ;)

 Believe it or not I'd never tried a Nails Inc polish before this, but I have to say I'm so impressed by the formula. Its creamy, smooth, and in 2 coats provides a perfect streak free coverage - I can see why these polishes are so popular despite their price. What's more, I really like the colour of this too. I didn't get on to well with Chanel's Particuliere which is also a mushroomy shade, but this one is much lighter and grey based, rather than Chanel's brown tone, so this is a real winner for me. I'd say its like the grown up Model's Own Utopia, in that it still has that slightly lilacy undertone, but it looks slightly more sophisticated. It has a nice glossy finish, and just makes nails look very neat and polished.

Chips wise I'm not expecting anything life changing, but given that I spend eight hours a day typing away at a computer no polish lasts any more than 2-3 days on me, so we'll see! I'm hoping it'll make it over the bank holiday weekend, and from the quality of the formula so far it's looking good.

So, now that I'm sucked in to the Nails Inc hype, which shade would you recommend I pick up next?

Lips: Kiehls Lip Balm #1 Mango

Kiehls Scented Lip Balm #1 in Mango - £9.50

Yes, it's another lip post. Yes, I've only had it for two weeks. Oh and yes, it contains what most people feel is the devil of lip products, petroleum...But I had to post about this balm. I love it!

I'm not that fussy about lip balms usually, I tend to just go for the aloe vera lip balm as it feels really soothing on the lips, although the smoothing effect on my lips doesn't last for that long. However, when I was at the Kiehls store in Nottingham recently these were by the counter and I had a whiff, and ended up sneaking one in my basket. This lip balm smells amazing - seriously, I can't stress it enough! I like mango scents anyway, but this is like a tropical paradise in the tube. Every time I apply this I have a good long smell haha its just that nice.

Scent aside, I actually really like this as a lip balm too. When it first comes out of the tube it has a fairly solid, gritty texture meaning it's great initially to use as a soft exfoliating treatment, however shortly after it hits the lips it warms and softens up, and just becomes a gorgeously smooth balm. Its hydrating, and a tiny amount goes a long way. This does claim to be a temporary treatment, but my lips definitely feel softer in general after a fortnights worth of use, and my lipstick applies flawlessly over this balm. This contains SPF 4 which is fine for me as I don't wear SPF on my lips on a day to day basis (oops) anyway, but their unscented version has SPF 15 for the more sun conscious!

My only gripe with this product and Kiehls in general is their pricing - this lip balm retails in the UK for £9.50, but over in the US its only $9 - so around £4 cheaper over there than here! This is also available in a few more scents over in America, whereas it's just plain or Mango here. Despite that though I'll definitely keep repurchasing this just for the scent - I really can't big it up enough! I'll just have to stock up next time I'm stateside.

Have you tried any Kiehls products? What's your favourite lip balm?

My Overnight Makeup Bag

Cath Kidston Cotton Cosmetic Pouch - £10

Ever since I invested in Asos premier I've have enjoyed treating myself to little bits and this makeup bag was no exception. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with makeup bags...until about 3 months ago my makeup collection was so big that I stored it in carrier bags because I couldn't find a makeup bag big enough, but thankfully I've seen the light and picked up some muji drawers. I also am not exactly Cath Kidston's number one fan as I find her products to be on the whole overpriced and overrated, but what can I say, I liked the pretty flowers! I have a purse by her which a friend bought me that I love and now this makeup bag too, which is making me consider investing in the matching wash bag.

It was pretty lucky that I was tempted by this bag, as I ended up going up to Yorkshire for the weekend with my dad to visit family, and I'm a bit tired of carrying my makeup round in plastic bags. As predicted, we all ended up having a bit too much vino and the next day I did not feel like applying a full face of slap, so I was pretty pleased with my selection. The NARS lipstick and Laura Mercier eyebrow pencil were just a step too much in my foggy state so they stayed at the bottom of the bag, but a combination of everything else made me look fresh faced enough to just about convince myself that I was feeling fine enough to face the two hour journey home.

The Kiehls lip balm is the absolute stand out product for me - the smell is absolutely divine and I shall be ordering multiples to leave in my bag/desk drawer/bedside table etc. I can't rave about the Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser enough, its the most beautiful natural finish ever, although if I use it too many days in a row I start to break out (not majorly) on my chin. This is not usual for me as I have incredibly sensitive skin, and going a day or two without wearing it gets my skin back in to shape.

Brush wise, all I took with me were the Real Techniques Buffing Brush (which I love with every base but Nars Sheer Glow - I think I could apply tar with this stuff and it would still look great), the Pointed Foundation Brush also from the core collection because it is excellent at applying concealer under the eyes and around the nose, and my trusty MAC 168, which I've had for years and is just angled enough to not overload my rather small face with blush. For skin care, I had my Origins super spot remover which I am very nearly out of, talika eye cleanser, and REN clay cleanser  - three of my favourite products at the moment. I really need to get some little pump bottles to transfer some of the latter two products in to, as they'd fit pretty snugly in this bag too.

So that completes my roundup of the products that I took away with me last weekend to keep me looking fresh faced - what are your travel essentials?

Lips: Illamasqua Box

Illamasqua SS12 Human Fundamentalism Lipstick in Box - £15.50

When I saw that ASOS were doing a special offer on their premier service - £9.95 for a whole years worth of next day delivery - I decided to purchase it. Since then, I've been regularly ordering little treats off of their website, because free next day delivery + student discount = a dream. I've been looking for a true, deep red for a while now, and I think I've cracked it with Illamasqua's Box.

Box has a very purpley undertone, but that doesn't detract from the fact that this is a true scarlet shade. I have (bleached) blonde hair and tend to wear fake tan so I struggle to wear reds, but I think this shade would probably work for anyone. The finish is matte, but not in a nasty, cracked lip way - my lips look smooth and moisturised. This lipstick is incredibly pigmented, so I'd definitely recommend using a lip liner with it, because its not the type of product you can just smudge back if it goes wrong! On my hand in the picture above is just two swipes of the bullet, and on my lips I'll only apply one or two coats for it to be perfect.

This is the first colour product I've bought from Illamasqua (other than nail polishes) and I'm really pleased with it. Its full on though, so will be reserved for nights out with simple eye makeup! What's your favourite red lipstick? Have you tried any Illamasqua products?

Nails: American Apparel Meteor Shower

American Apparel Meteor Shower - £9

Sample nails L-R: No 7 So Simple - £7, Models Own Utopia - £5, Essie Mint Candy Apple - £7.99, Models Own Lemon Meringue - £5, Essie Fiji - £7.99

After my recent haul post (which you can read here), the majority of people seemed interested in the American Apparel glitter polishes I purchased, so I thought I'd do a quick post on Meteor Shower.

I love this polish. It's basically a load of gold foil chopped up in to different sized pieces in a clear polish, and although not every piece lies completely flat, my nails don't feel uncomfortably bumpy. I couldn't decide what colour to go for as a base (hence my multicoloured nails in the third picture!) but I honestly think they all work really well - I've yet to come across a colour that doesn't work with this polish. I'm definitely going to pick up a deep blue soon as I think it'd look great with Meteor Shower.

Eventually I settled on Essie Fiji as a base (I just can't get on with this polish normally, but it does look pretty with the glitter), but as you can see, I changed my nails a couple of times. I was surprised to find that Meteor Shower came off really easily, unlike the majority of other grittier glitter nail polishes. I just held a nail varnish remover soaked cotton pad on my nail for about ten seconds and it wiped off really easily.

If you're near an American Apparel store I'd definitely recommend you pick this up - all of their polishes are on 3 for £17 at the moment, which means you're getting one free and another at a discounted price.

Do you love glitter topcoats as much as me? Which are your favourites? Check out my top five in this post.